


A Very Merry Unbirthday

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Series: Boarding School Buddies [18]
Category: Castle, Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-14
Updated: 2013-06-14
Packaged: 2017-12-15 00:18:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/843121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony knows all about unreliable parents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Very Merry Unbirthday

The sniffle of a disappointed kid wakes Tony up early. He sits up on Rick's couch and rubs his eyes, squinting at the clock on the wall.

"Six," he mutters to himself. "Ugh." He slowly gets to his feet and rubs his eyes again, following the sounds of the sniffles.

Alexis is sitting at the dining room table, her head resting in her folded arms, staring at her cell phone.

Tony slumps down next to her and scratches at his chest, his fingers bumping into his arc reactor. "You know, for a teenage girl who just had her birthday party last night, you sure look miserable."

He gets no response.

"Did you go to sleep last night?" he asks.

"No," she sulks.

Tony mimics her position, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on them. "Alexis."

"Hm?"

"Are you waiting for you mom to call?"

She looks at him and sniffles again. "Yeah...How did you know?" 

"Because I did this when I was fifteen, too," Tony tells her, watching her closely. "There are gonna be some days...no, you know what? There are gonna be some decades where the people we love disappoint the hell out of us."

Her blue eyes peer up at him sadly. "That's not helping."

"Yeah, I know," he says. "That realization really sucks. But it's important to come to terms with it. By expecting more from your mom than she can give, you're only hurting yourself."

"So...you're saying that I should let mom be who she's gonna be...and not feel sad when she misses my birthday?"

"No," Tony shakes his head. "I'm saying you should let your mom be who she's gonna be, and then expect her to miss your birthday."

"That's really messed up," Alexis mutters sadly.

He nods. "Yeah. But it's good defense against disappointment. It's tough having a parent who's not really game to be a parent."

"Your dad was like that, right?"

"Yeah. I had my mom. She was great. Busy, a lot. But she always paid attention," Tony says. "I only know how to cook one thing, and it's what she taught me." 

"What?"

"Blueberry muffins."

Alexis giggles.

"You want some?" Tony asks. "Some post-birthday blueberry muffins?"

"I would love blueberry muffins."

Tony grins and sits up. "You got it. Come be my little sous chef."

Alexis glances at her phone.

"Kid, if she calls, she calls," Tony says, getting to his feet. "And if she doesn't, you've got muffins and a house full of people who all remembered your birthday."  
She smiles a little and nods before following him into the kitchen, leaving her phone behind.


End file.
